AGENDA ITEM
FRIENDS OF POOLE PARK 3 MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON MONDAY 11 JUNE 2007
The meeting commenced at 7.00pm and concluded at 9.00pm
Present:
M Heckford - Treasurer / Vice-Chairman E Lawford - Secretary / Membership Secretary C Freeman - Open Spaces Manager, Borough of Poole J Marter - Poole Park Ranger, Borough of Poole D Gully - Assistant Ranger, Borough of Poole Cllr Adams - Elected Member, Borough of Poole I Andrews - Society of Poole Men J Austin-Williams - Orchard Area Residents’ Association D Broadhurst - Friends of Poole Park G Budworth - Friends of Poole Park C Bullen - Poole Park Railway B Butler - Friends of Poole Park C Chauncy - Friends of Poole Park M Chave - Friends of Poole Park D Chick - Friends of Poole Park B Deans - Friends of Poole Park J Dibley - Poole Radio Yacht Club E Farnsworth - Friends of Poole Park E Gault - Friends of Poole Park J Gillingham - Friends of Poole Park J Hall - Friends of Poole Park R Hall - Friends of Poole Park B Jones - Poole Park Bowls Club S Loe - Friends of Poole Park C Middleton - Friends of Poole Park M Muir - Friends of Poole Park T Muir - Friends of Poole Park V North - Friends of Poole Park J Price - Friends of Poole Park P Steer - Friends of Poole Park L Strothard - Democratic Support Officer, Borough of Poole C Watkins - Orchard Area Residents’ Association
Members of the public in attendance: 0
1. CHAIRMAN’S OPENING REMARKS
The Chairman welcomed all those present and introduced Members of the Committee and Local Authority Leisure Services Officers to the meeting.
1 2. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
Apologies for absence were received from Mrs E Allen, Mr K Bearcroft, Cllr Bulteel, Mrs S Cannon, Cllr Collier, Mrs M Coombes, Mr P Giles (Poole Radio Yacht Club), Cllr Gillard, Mrs J Jones, Mr B Lister (Chairman and Publicity Officer), Mrs J Norman, Mrs L Smith, Mr T Smith (Events Coordinator), Mrs R St John and Mr T St John.
3. MINUTES
AGREED that the Minutes of the Meeting held on 5 March 2007 having been previously circulated, be taken as read, confirmed as a true record and signed by the Chairman.
4. MATTERS ARISING
(a) Clare Freeman
Clare Freeman, Open Spaces Manager for the Borough of Poole’s Leisure Services Department, was welcomed to her first meeting of the Friends of Poole Park.
(b) Vandalism
Noting that vandalism continued to be a problem in the Park, especially at pub closing times, Ian Andrews suggested there was a need for alternative solutions to those suggested by Cllr Collier at the last meeting, as it was unlikely that special facilities for young people would be an effective distraction after nightfall.
5. POOLE PARK UPDATE
Poole Park’s Ranger gave an update report on completed and planned works within the Park as follows:
(i) Safety Issues and Park Information Kiosk
The majority of Leisure Service’s budget for Poole Park had been spent on two projects, namely (i) the refurbishment of the old ice cream kiosk as a base for Park Rangers and the Friends of Poole Park and (ii) resurfacing of the Central Park Café’s car park surface, including realigning drain covers, manholes and parking bays;
The kiosk had now been fully refurbished with new roofing, flooring, brickwork, electrics and plumbing (including hot and cold running water). Security measures had been incorporated including three mortise locks
2 and self-locking shutters. A number of items of furniture had already been installed;
Approximately twelve nesting boxes, donated by the Friends of Poole Park, had been installed in the wild fowl enclosure;
Salt tolerant water reeds had been planted on the artificial islands;
The Victorian benches had been concreted into their bases at the fountain and there had been no further instances of vandalism;
The original rose trellis arch had now been replaced with a more robust construction;
A climbing rose had been planted in the rose garden;
The perimeter fence at the mini-golf enclosure had been vandalised again. The damage would be repaired;
The Ranger was awaiting delivery of a second bowl for the potable water fountain at East Lodge Gate;
The new land drains had successfully prevented flooding;
Coir fibre matting had been ordered and would be installed on the perimeter of Swan Lake;
Two items of play equipment had been broken and had been removed from the children’s play area. It was suspected that they had been vandalised and the Park Ranger was reviewing CCTV footage in order to establish what had happened. Leisure Services Officer Mike Gotobed was arranging for the equipment to be replaced.
Members considered other issues as follows:
Kiosk
Members agreed that the refurbished kiosk, restored to its original 1945 colours, looked excellent. It was anticipated that bird and fish food would be sold from the premises, together with memorabilia including postcards of Poole Park donated by a local trader. The Committee would like to open the kiosk during school holidays and public events however it was essential that volunteers came forward to ensure there was sufficient personnel to staff the kiosk. Health and Safety training for all volunteers would be provided by Elaine Lawford.
Leisure Services Officers were arranging for a sign and stand to be erected outside the kiosk and were also discussing options for compiling a booklet on
3 Poole Park. Other suggestions which could be considered in the future included installation of a postbox / suggestion box.
Mrs Myrna Chave and Mrs Sandra Legg were thanked for volunteering to help out at the kiosk.
Reed Beds
In response to Members’ concerns over the close proximity of the newly planted reed beds to the lake edge and the ease by which young people could jump the gap, Poole Park’s Ranger explained that the issue had already been raised with Stuart Terry, Coastal Works Manager, who had advised that the gap between the lake edge and reed beds had been measured to ensure the optimum range for water filtration. The reed beds were at water level and would not sustain the weight of a person or person(s) attempting to walk on them.
Members discussed whether barriers should be erected to prevent unauthorised access by members of the public. In response, the Open Spaces Manager explained that warning signs had been installed on site and that the Local Authority would continue to monitor the situation closely. Five additional Information Boards would be installed giving general information on the reed-bed scheme.
John Austin-Williams reported that the overall quality of water was much improved, however Members continued to express concern over the potential for trespass on the reed beds. The Chairman agreed to forward a copy of email correspondence between himself and Stuart Terry to Doug Chick for further information.
Report of the Orchard Area Residents Association
Chris Watkins reported that the overall appearance of Poole Park had improved considerably since the March meeting but requested that the Ranger give some attention to dead trees at the rear of the railway shed at Copse Close.
There was disappointment that Officers had not as yet erected fencing around the unsightly composting area at the railway shed.
Re-seeding and re-turfing of land surrounding the new ice rink was of very poor quality and needed attention, a view which was shared by the Local Authority. Leisure Services Officers would meet with Adrian Forte in order to discuss options for bringing the work up to an acceptable standard. The Local Authority’s Technical Architect would advise on landscaping.
In response to a request from Myrna Chave, Leisure Services agreed to give consideration to replanting a hydrangea in the vicinity of the new café.
4 Horse Chestnut Tree Avenue
The Open Spaces Manager confirmed that a hundred new trees were being grown at Upton House from the seed harvested from the Horse Chestnut Tree Avenue. The Open Spaces Manager acknowledged that there was no policy to replace dead or diseased trees on an ad hoc basis as this would be contrary to the feature’s even-aged design. It was intended that the new trees would be allowed to grow to sufficient size for the Avenue to be replanted in its entirety.
John Austin-Williams expressed his disappointment that some healthy trees would have to be felled as a result of the current policy and once again impressed upon Officers how successfully the Tiergarten, Berlin had proved despite its trees being replaced on an ad hoc basis. He expressed sadness that the Avenue had become so neglected and regret that years could pass before the community was able to enjoy the feature in its full splendour.
(ii) Park Lake Road Pathway and Poole Harbour Canoe Club Site
In Cllr Collier’s absence, Members agreed to defer debate on the Poole Harbour Canoe Club to a future meeting of the Friends of Poole Park. In the interim, the Open Spaces Manager reported that she was to meet with a Representative from the Canoe Club at the end of the month.
AGREED that an item on Poole Harbour Canoe Club be deferred to a future meeting of the Friends of Poole Park.
Cllr Adams confirmed that Cllr Collier was liaising with Officers to investigate flooding along the Park Lake Road pathway.
The cost of stabilizing the concrete pathway was likely to prove prohibitive and Officers may need to consider alternative options for resurfacing in order to find a permeable, sustainable and affordable solution. It was queried whether Planning Obligation Funding could be used to pay for improvements.
6. TRAFFIC ISSUES
In Cllr Collier’s absence, Members agreed to defer debate on the hand-held police speed camera to the September meeting of the Friends of Poole Park.
AGREED that an item on the use of a hand-held police speed camera be deferred to the September meeting of the Friends of Poole Park.
Members discussed other issues as follows:
The speed of traffic flow through the Park was still excessive, despite installation of traffic-calming granite setts on the causeway;
5 There had recently been an isolated incident involving over 100 mini motorbike riders riding unannounced through the Park. This had caused significant interference with the flow of traffic through the Park;
The Park’s Boating Operators continued to park their vehicles on the grass despite requests from the Ranger not to do so. Although it was accepted that the Operators needed to bring large amounts of boating equipment onto the site, it was expected that they would restrict their parking to marked bays in the car park as soon as the new Boathouse was complete. Failure to do so would prompt Local Authority Officers to consider examining the Terms of their Licence to operate in the Park.
It was suggested that the Chairman should consider inviting the Operator to become a Member of the Friends of Poole Park or attend a future meeting of the Friends of Poole Park.
7. PLANNING OBLIGATION FUNDING
Members received an update on planning obligation spending and available funds as follows:
A balance of £213,043 remained following refurbishment of the Central Park Café toilets, lake dredging and creation of artificial islands;
£15,000 had been allocated for a feasibility study into installing a cycle track and pavilion. Members felt that it would be helpful if the Friends of Poole Park could be involved in this study;
Possible projects to be worked up for the remaining allocation included (i) pavilion and cycle track (subject to the results of the feasibility study; (ii) refurbishment of the West Field Play Area; (iii) Disability Discrimination Act enhancements and access work throughout the Park; and (iv) installation of a fitness trail;
Objections to some of the proposed fitness trial equipment had been raised by Planning and Leisure Services Officers, as a result of which further discussions were underway to agree sensitive siting of equipment which would be more complimentary to the Victorian aspect of the Park;
Leisure Services Officers were producing a Guide to Planning Obligation Funding, a copy of which would be sent to the Friends of Poole Park for information;
Local Authority Officers received regular monthly forecasts of Planning Obligations funding and a sub group comprising Elected Members and specialist Technical Team Officers met to allocate project funding;
6 Plans to establish a canoe club in the Park could be added to the list of projects to be considered for Planning Obligations funding in the future;
A member expressed annoyance that the West Field Play Area equipment required refurbishment, noting that it had been neglected through lack of maintenance.
Members requested that Leisure Services Officers give due regard to the Planning Obligations ‘Wish-List’ which the Friends of Poole Park had already prepared and in particular the request that a floating fountain be included on the list of projects for the Park.
8. MEMBERSHIP REPORT
Members noted the report of the Membership Secretary as follows:
Current Membership stood at 121 Members, 21 of whom were Life Members;
There was an urgent need for volunteers to join the Committee, which met to conduct business 3 / 4 times per annum. There were currently only four Trustees of the charity and it was essential that this was increased as soon as possible.
9. TREASURER’S REPORT
The Treasurer informed the meeting that the current balance of the Friends of Poole Park Account stood at £39,561. This figure included approximately £7,000 raised through sponsorship etc for Fest ’07 and £75 in Membership fees.
Anticipated outgoings were in the region of £600, spent on updating the Friends of Poole Park website, furniture for the new kiosk and Criminal Record Bureau (CRB) checks for Fest ’07 volunteers.
10. PUBLICITY REPORT
There was no report to consider due to the absence of the Publicity Officer.
11. EVENTS REPORT
Members noted the report of the Events Coordinator which had been previously circulated with the Agenda.
7 12. ANY OTHER BUSINESS
Ian Andrews moved and it was seconded
‘that the Friends of Poole Park request Council gives consideration to removing the Civic Centre Area parking restriction on Bank Holidays, subject to formal consultation with local residents on safety and access issues’
Members debated the Motion which arose out of reports that a number of penalty notices had been issued to motorists parking in Copse Close, Orchard Avenue and Glenair Road on Bank Holiday Monday, 28 August 2006, the second day of the Friends of Poole Park Fest ’06. Members felt that it was unfair that visitors to the event had been penalised for parking in what was a newly designated restricted area, and a number of residents questioned whether the Local Authority had in fact consulted with local residents before imposing the new Waiting Order in the vicinity.
On being put to the vote, the Motion was carried.
RESOLVED that the Friends of Poole Park request Council gives consideration to removing the Civic Centre Area parking restriction on Bank Holidays, subject to formal consultation with local residents on safety and access issues.
UNANIMOUS
13. DATE OF NEXT MEETING
AGREED that the next Meeting of The Friends of Poole Park would take place on Monday 10 September 2007 at 7.00pm in the Committee Suite, Civic Centre.
CHAIRMAN
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